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Started on the flats just inshore of Hudson's tip at first light. Seas were dead-flat calm, the water temp was 71-72 degrees (which proved to be the case pretty much all throughout the Hudson), and the water color was a clear green. Saw a few pods of Atlantic & bottlenosed dolphin in the area of the tip, and even noticed a couple of white marlin chasing mahi near the 100-fathom lobster sets. We put out a mixed pattern of 6" yellow/green and purple/black squid daisey chains & spreader bars, along with few Black Bart pushers in varying sizes, and a couple of ballyhoo rigged behind Ilanders, and trolled the boat at idle speed (7-8 knots).
Several passes through the aforementioned tip area resulted in no knockdowns, and we read no bait in that area, though we did encounter large gaggles of stormy petrels (chickie birds) sitting on the water, which I know from experience is a sign that a feeding frenzy had taken place there quite recently. We continued working the east wall out towards the mouth.
Received one blind strike while working against the grain (running uphill) in the east elbow, resulting in a 40 lb class yellowfin. Worked that area for a while, and again, there were no fish or bait readings on the scope, but there were large gatherings of petrels sitting on the surface in that area, as well.
We noticed from one of the nearby lobster sets that the tide flow was running towards the southwest, so we made a decision to cross the deep and try our luck on the west wall near the west elbow & the bombs. Once again, encountered gaggles of rafting petrels just inshore of the tide lines in that spot. But this time, we read bait with fish mixed in at 50-70 feet, so we started working the readings hard. Nailed another 40 lb yellowfin on our second pass. We trolled the crap out of that spot for over an hour, with nothing else to show for our efforts. Later at the dock, examination of the yft's stomach contents revealed that it had been feeding on 2-4 inch long squid.
We worked the west wall out towards the mouth, where we saw that more than a few bots had elected to stop trolling, and were instead fishing the pots and flotsam in that area with spinning tackle for small mahi. That area turned out to be a desert, otherwise.
At that point, we decided to try for a Hail Mary, picking up our lines and running to the edge at Hendrickson's. Once there, we ran into water that was 2 degrees warmer, and unbelievably, dingier then what we'd had at the Hudson. More to the point, it was totally bereft of any signs life on the surface. We Worked the 1000-fathom curve, the 200 fathom shelf drop off inshore of the curve, and the numerous dips and rises in 600-400 feet of water inshore of that, with nothing to show for our efforts. As the boat owner needed to get back to the dock before 3 PM, we pulled up the lines in called it a day.
__________________
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a
pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly
used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming--WOW--What a ride!!!"
-Stuart Wilde-
Pounded the tails on Sat - glad to hear I wasnt the only one. Caught 2 yft to 40lbs and some chickens. Think it was too calm and sunny. Ton of boats did overnighters- anyone hear how the night bite was? I heard mixed reports about Atlantis.
FUBAR thanks for the great detailed report, We had no luck at the Glory, and the water at the HA was cleaner than the Glory but still no life. Just a pod of Dolphin, Yellowfin for a split second and pettrels. Again, thanks for the great report.
__________________ VERADO CLUB
"Every man dies, but not every man truly lives....."
8 am lines in at the tower in line for the tip- water 78 clean green, after an 1 hr 18 pound mahi hit the short cedar plug, few nice jumps, picked another mahi closer to the tip- threw everything we had at them but no yft, tried east wall, west wall nada- slow day- water temp down the middle in about 900 ft was 82 ! 2pm trolled north towards texas picked a another mahi on a pot- 3pm shark drift at the bacardi- 1small brown shark on whole mackerel about 80 #- nice ride home at 45 mph- no tuna but an awesome day on the water.
8 am lines in at the tower in line for the tip- water 78 clean green, after an 1 hr 18 pound mahi hit the short cedar plug, few nice jumps, picked another mahi closer to the tip- threw everything we had at them but no yft, tried east wall, west wall nada- slow day- water temp down the middle in about 900 ft was 82 ! 2pm trolled north towards texas picked a another mahi on a pot- 3pm shark drift at the bacardi- 1small brown shark on whole mackerel about 80 #- nice ride home at 45 mph- no tuna but an awesome day on the water.
FUBAR thanks for the great detailed report, We had no luck at the Glory, and the water at the HA was cleaner than the Glory but still no life. Just a pod of Dolphin, Yellowfin for a split second and pettrels. Again, thanks for the great report.
captjohnny,
Am I reading this correct - did you have yellowfin tuna at the gloryhole?
we fished jennie's could see yft early but couldn't get past the skippy's and they were full of tiny squid as well
Fubar stick a washdown hose down there throat they will spit up what they are eating so you can change over colors n size while on station We started with mackeral patterns because of the week before nailed a skippy on the ceadar in the wash switched over to white and mixed light colors and quit trying to catch the yft as the skippys chewed up our whole spread
we fished the Lindy/ spencer canyons sunday to monday, got a late start did not get the lines in till 5pm troll till dark, drifted/ chuncked the lindy got about a dozen mahi to 9 lbs, a small hammerhead, and a 5' mako (released). trolled around the lindy at first light then headed toward the spencer. (worked inside the on about the 50 line) nothing, we pulled the lines and ran inside the lindy (about the 40 fathom curve) where there was a 1 degree break coming out . worked there the was plenty of life picked up 2 small yft the bigger may have been 30 lbs. the weather was great! water temp was 77 to 78.4 degrees, the yft were filled with little 2" to 4" squids
There were a few boats working the willmington canyon, and it seems all the fish caught (yft) were caught on the flats inside. but no mad dog bites like was herd of on friday/ saturday down buy the willmington.
Just curious but have you guys that chunk overnight ever tried trolling at night?
I've pulled both improvised illuminated lures (Cylume sticks hung from the hook of say, a Green Machine) and Lite 'n Glow lures which had a cavity into which one would insert a Lunker Light. I achieved some success with both, but the action was not even close to what you'd experience during just an average chunk bite.
When you add the current cost of fuel into the mix (for example, my current "charge", a 54' Hatteras, sucks down 18-20 gallons of OPEC gold per hour at trolling speed), spending $100-150 for a half-dozen flats of butterfish is a freaking bargain by comparison.
__________________
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a
pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly
used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming--WOW--What a ride!!!"
-Stuart Wilde-
Hudson & Hendrickson canyons, Sunday 7/16 
